Here's why you should check your testicles: Point of View

One in 250. That's about the odds of getting testicular cancer.

That may help explain why some never give the disease a second thought.

It's also why I never imagined my journalism portfolio would one day include a first-person account of why they should.

But then, a few weeks ago, I felt a lump on one of my testicles.

Getting the call

It was a Thursday night. I'd just put my two toddlers to bed, and was changing into shorts for a run on the treadmill.

I hadn't noticed any pain down there. I was feeling perfectly healthy. But that small lump still had me worried. 

I'm 34 years old with a wife and two kids I adore. More than anything else, it's the thought of not being around for them that makes me take my health a heck of a lot more seriously than I once did. 

If there's a time to get in the habit of checking for lumps, and getting to a doctor if you find one, it's in your mid teens.- Steve Bruce

So the next morning, I headed straight for a walk-in clinic.

My hope was the doctor would take a look and immediately rule out testicular cancer. I'd call my wife with the good news, and we'd both start breathing again.

Instead, the doctor ordered me an urgent ultrasound. The breathing would have to wait.

Then, exactly two weeks later — not even 24 hours after my testicular photo shoot — I got the call.

It was the doctor I'd seen at the walk-in clinic.  

"Your results are in," he said. "I need you to come see me this morning."

Yeah, not the best way to start a day.

A treatable disease

Strangely though, by the time I hit the pillow that night, I wasn't just breathing again. I was breathing easy.

Yes, I had a tumour on my right testicle.  

Yes, there was a 95% chance it was cancerous.  

Yes, I would need an orchiectomy (medical talk for "Your nut's gotta go, man.") 

But, added the doctor, testicular cancer is generally very treatable, particularly when caught early. It seems mine was.

"Good on you for getting that lump checked out right away," the doc said. "A lot of guys brush it off and don't get to a doctor until the tumour's grown and the cancer's spread."

Get into the habit

Thirty-four-year-old me has a hard time understanding that.

But 18-year-old me?

At that age, I didn't hear much talk about guys getting testicular cancer, or the need to check regularly for lumps.  

And the thought of having some strange older man or woman poking around down there, checking  for something that's probably nothing anyway? No thanks. 

To me, it shouldn't take courage to talk about your testicles. It's just another body part. Here's hoping we get to a place where it is talked about that way.- Steve Bruce

But here's the thing: testicular cancer is just as likely to strike that immortal teenager as it is me. 

If there's a time to get in the habit of checking for lumps, and getting to a doctor if you find one, it's in your mid teens. 

Reducing the stigma

Last week, as I lay on the couch down one testicle, recovering from surgery, I took to social media to share my experience and to stress the importance of self-checks.

A lot of people have reached out to me since then, saying how crucial the message is and how courageous I am for sharing my story.

"My friend lost her brother when he was 16 because of testicular cancer and the stigma associated with it," one woman wrote on Twitter.

To me, it shouldn't take courage to talk about your testicles. It's just another body part.   

Here's hoping we get to a place where it is talked about that way.

It may just save some lives. 

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